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Thursday, April 4, 2013

As seems to be the pattern, it's been a while since my last post- but I am back once again!
And most recently, I am back from San Francisco. A city which, due to the hype that has been laid down by many of my west coasty friends, I was totally prepared to be disappointed in.
Well. I wasn't. It was magical. It was won me over for California- though I am no fan of the palm-tree-ey bits that look like saved by the bell and trapper keepers- the northy bit is neat!
I also happened to be in town on the exact evening that a Beauty and the Beast singalong was underway (after which I proceeded to get lost in the Tenderloin with no money and no ID at midnight, but that is a much longer story for another time). And my very wonderful best brony Liz Mooney's family whisked me away into the hills of Petaluma to smell all the flowers (they do actually have flowers there! LIVING PLANTS, NEW ENGLAND!) and basically drive windingly through a giant Eyvind Earle painting.

But that was not why I was there! No no no, dear reader- I was there on business!

Business indeed- because (and it only just occurred to me that most people don't have a clue this is the case) I am now an employee of EA Games!

Fancy!

I am a character concept artist working a remote contract from my home base in MA. And I got to fly out to the left side of the country to meet my colleagues and see the project first hand. It is a great gig, a fun project, and a team full of excellent folk!I can't tell you anything about it (and sadly it will mark a return to the making-almost-entirely-secret-work lifestyle of those employed in pretty much any creative industry) but I can at least show you the art test I did that got me the gig-

Fun!

It is a timely gig, and one I don't have to relocate permanently for, which is a blessing I cannot do justice in words. God is good, and merciful.

Regrettably, this comes on the heels of the first round of Jellybots graphic novel pitch not-quite-working-out with publishers. Which was, frankly, kind of heartbreaking- I really really want to make this book happen. I'll be looking into what to do with that whole thing, and in the meantime I'll at least be able to feed myself and maybe take a nip out of the crushing college debt that prevents me from taking bigger risks.

Still, all this got me thinking about art and life and God and hopes and dreams and what is it that I actually wanted to do with my life, again?

So I made a list.

And I'm going to publish it here in the hope that somehow the internet will hold me accountable to having some dreams and hopes and maybe even one day achieving them. SO, help me not give up, internet! And if you happen to be one of the people who could actually help me do one of these things, then fiiind me!

Without further ado (and in no particular order):

The List Of Things I Want To Do (Mostly Art Related, But Not Exclusively) Before I Die:

Write and create my own graphic novels

Work for Disney on an animated feature

Work for Dreamworks as a character artist

Do color-design for a movie

Work with That Game Company

Do any kind of story for First Second Publishing

Travel to warm places, far awayWork on something unabashedly adorable

Work for Laika

Teach Art

Make watercolors of things and be paid for it

Design Pokemon for GamefreakDesign absolutely anything for Skies of Arcadia 2Ditto for Jet Set RadioOh, and anything Myst related

Be paid for actual voice acting

Be involved in story meetings on an animated feature

Work on Avatar/Korra

Be involved in adapting Redwall for...anything

Harry Potter graphic novel

Spider-man

Work in any capacity on an animated musical (please please please)

Develop dream projects and contribute to the vision of a small company at its outset

Work on something for actual kids. Not grown-ups who have the minds of kids.

Work on Tinkerbell (yes.)Work on anything remotely as rad as Gravity Falls

Be surprised by something not on this list

Do something non-art related in a beautiful place

Give professional hugs

aaaand eat all the cheese.

So that's all I got right now!
It's really cathartic to get that out there- It's not a comprehensive list, and what's neat about dreams is that they change and grow and die and return. But sometimes it's hard to remember what it is you're even shooting for, and then it's easy to get stagnant and stop trying. SO LET'S NOT DO THAT!

I'm curious, wonderful and patient readers- what are your hopes and art-dreams?

I hope you are better than me today. I came home from travel with the 24 hour death-flu. I will be ok soon. Or I will be dead.
Either way, have some Pokemon!